Botetourt County School Board passed a $54.5 million dollar budget for'09-10
Botetourt County School Board approved a $54.5 million budget after the scheduled public hearing. The budget includes $48.7 million in the ’09-10 in an operating budget and $5.7 million in sustaining funds that combine for the total budget.
It has not been an easy process because of a $2.24 million state funding shortfall, but $1.6 million from the federal stimulus plan allowed the school administration and staff to make some lemonade in what has other wise been a budget year full of lemons for most state school divisions. The division re-instated some cuts due to the stimulus money that were covered in the March regular school board meeting report.
In the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) Breckinridge Elementary School will at long last get air conditioning in the gymnasium. The HVAC will be the first part of a two year plan with HVAC for the first year and roof replacement the second year in the CIP at the school.
Administrators have been especially careful to keep the federal stimulus money in its own category to keep from expecting too much in future funding from the source and to not count it as part of the state funding indicated Dr. Tony Brads the school superintendent.
Valley school board member Michael Beahm said the economic woes of the funding and the stimulus money make him feel like the drought has a long tail. “I am worried the second year (next year) being equally as hard as the first year,” he said.
This year’s operating budget is a half million less than last year, down $540,000. There is no additional ask in local funding. The School Division gets $21.3 million in local revenue.
Now the budget moves to the Board of Supervisors, who will hold a public hearing on the entire county budget on April 15.
